After three years of pandemic operations, May 11, 2023, marks the end of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency. According to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS), COVID-19 deaths have declined by 95% and hospitalizations are down nearly 91% since the peak in January 2021. 

At the beginning of the PHE, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and other federal agencies used emergency waiver flexibilities and various regulatory authorities to ensure that providers could rapidly respond to people impacted by COVID-19. While COVID-19 remains a significant public health priority, many of the flexibilities enabled by the COVID-19 emergency declarations will come to an end now that the official emergency declaration has expired.  

To help physicians understand what this means for their practices and their patients, the California Medical Association (CMA) has collected the following resources: 

• HHS Fact Sheet: COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Transition Roadmap
• AMA Guide — End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
• AMA Telehealth Policy Update
• AMA Telehealth Quick Guide
• AMA Podcast—PHE ends, Is the Pandemic Over?
• CMS Guidance for the Expiration of the COVID-19 PHE
• CMS FAQ: CMS Waivers, Flexibilities, and the End of the COVID-19 PHE
• CMS: What Do I Need to Know? CMS Waivers, Flexibilities and the Transition Forward from the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
• CMA Virtual Grand Rounds—After the Public Health Emergency: Post-COVID Clinical Care
• CMA News: DEA extends telehealth flexibilities for controlled substances
• CMA Telehealth Policy Update (Note: this document is currently being updated.)

California’s State of Emergency previously expired on February 28, 2023. For more information about the California-specific changes post PHE, see CMA’s guide –  End of the COVID-19 Emergency: What Physicians Need to Know.